How to Organize Your Mail and Pay Your Bills

How to Organize and Pay Your Bills:

A Simple System

This is a simple system to help organize one’s regular mail and bill payment. Often people become mired up in the basic problem of a cluttered or non-existant In Box.

1. Mail Bin:

When the mail comes in most people get a mixture of bills, junk mail, letters and miscellaneous items. A system for dealing with mail cannot depend on your having time to sort the mail when it arrives. One way to deal with it is to have a bin or box where all the mail can be dumped when it is brought inside; in this way it will not get lost.

2. Trash and Recycle:

Once or twice a week, go through the mail and sort it: Trash and recyclables can be tossed in their bins. Catalogs that are saved can either go in their own bin or into the personal bins (below).

3. Personal Mail:

Each family member should have their own bin, for which they are responsible. Make sure that the other members of the household know that they must review their mail regularly, so their containers don’t overflow. Also that they must not use them for long term storage.

4. Bills:

This is the most important part of all!

All bills go in this box, including recurring bills (like mortgage or car payments). It helps to write the due date on the outside of the envelope, and to stack the bills with the most urgent ones on top. Set aside a time each week for paying bill. On that day, go through the stack in the Bill container, and set aside any that are due in the next 10 days (if you are going through the bills weekly and it takes a couple days for the payment to get to the creditor, the 10 days ensures that you will not be late with the payment).

5. Tax bin:

Receipts, paid bills, and other stuff that you will need at tax time can be tossed in here for April 15th.

We are located in Northern Baltimore County and serve the Baltimore County, Carroll County and Harford County areas in Maryland. Since we are near the Pennsylvania border, we also serve the York County area.

Our services include psychotherapy, psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and family therapy. We treat children, adults, and the elderly.